An old lady, Liu Granny, from the house next door, walked out carrying a basket of groceries.
"Liu Granny, going grocery shopping again?" Qin Tian greeted her with a smile.
The old lady, whose hair had turned gray but whose body was still spry, quickly looked at him, squinted, and nodded with a smile. "Yes, I'm off to buy groceries!"
Liu Granny locked her front door and asked kindly, "Xiao Tian, are you done with your college entrance exams?"
"Yes, I'm done."
"How do you think you did?"
"I think it went alright!"
"That's good then. Liu Granny will be waiting for the wedding banquet!"
"Alright, where's Grandpa Sun?"
"He went fishing, left early this morning."
"Oh, I see. Well, you go ahead and buy your groceries, and be careful on your way!"
"Okay, okay."
Liu Granny nodded repeatedly with a gentle smile and headed towards the market, just like she always did.
Qin Tian stood at his doorstep, eating breakfast, and watched the old lady walk away, feeling quite emotional.
The elderly couple next door, both over sixty, had always been very loving in his memory. He had never heard them quarrel or argue.
It wasn't until after he graduated, entered the workforce, and returned home for Chinese New Year one year that he greeted Liu Granny. To his surprise, she seemed vacant and didn't recognize him.
From his mother, Qin Tian learned that Liu Granny had Alzheimer's disease and her memory was deteriorating.
He remembered that during that particular Chinese New Year, neither of their children had come to visit.
By the time he was reborn, Liu Granny had almost forgotten everyone and everything around her. Fortunately, the only person she still remembered was Grandpa Sun.
Grandpa Sun had also stayed by his wife's side, taking care of her, just as Liu Granny did now, buying groceries and cooking for Grandpa Sun every day.
This was perhaps what the ancients meant by mutual support in adversity and growing old together.
"Looking at Liu Granny now, you'd never guess," Qin Tian muttered to himself, then turned and went back into the house.
He decided to find an opportunity to remind Grandpa Sun to take Liu Granny out more often, suggesting moderate exercise, and also to pay attention to her mindset and balanced diet.
These measures could only help prevent further decline, but it was better than doing nothing.
...
...
After casually filling his stomach, Qin Tian helped tidy up the house and put the clothes that needed washing into the washing machine.
His mother, as expected, was likely at the mall discussing rent.
Having been frugal for so long, his mother would go to great lengths to save every penny.
Qin Tian felt there was nothing wrong with this. Even if they had more money in the future and he got married with children, he would want his mother to help raise them, instilling good habits from a young age.
Thinking of this, Qin Tian couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile, patting his own cheek lightly.
Was this a drawback of the mature male soul? He found himself thinking too far ahead, without any inhibitions.
After finishing his chores, his phone had also fully charged.
Qin Tian picked up his phone, intending to watch TV in the living room to pass the time.
Upon turning it on, he saw that Xia Nuannuan had sent him a message at eight in the morning.
Qin Tian quickly typed a reply.
"My phone was out of power last night and turned off. I just finished breakfast and did some chores."
He turned on the TV, found a classic comedy he had watched many times, "iPartment Season 2," and started watching it while munching on sunflower seeds.
Just a few minutes later, his phone, which was placed beside him, pinged.
Qin Tian picked it up and glanced at it.
Nuannuan Little Sun: "Are you sure it was breakfast?"
"Okay, breakfast and lunch!"
"Hehe... Lazy pig, lazy pig. My mom didn't wake me up either, but I still woke up at eight."
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm a pig who only eats fresh cabbage."
Xia Nuannuan didn't reply this time, instead sending a cleaver emoji.
Qin Tian smiled and typed, "I'm planning to go to the internet cafe this afternoon. Zhang Peng will definitely be there. Are you coming?"
"Yes, yes, you said you'd teach me to play games."
"Okay, I'll message you again before we leave later."
"Mmm-hmm, I'm going to the market to buy groceries with my mom now."
"Go ahead, go ahead!"
After sending the message, Qin Tian flopped onto the sofa and started checking the stock market trends on his phone.
Over the past few days, the funds in his investment account had grown a bit more.
Before heading to Jiangcheng to give Zhao Mingyuan the seven hundred thousand yuan, he wanted to earn as much as he could.
In fact, with his current stock trading experience and skills, combined with his foresight, it was very possible to achieve financial freedom in the stock market if he played it safe.
However, Qin Tian didn't plan to do that. He would continue his stock investments, but he also needed some real businesses as a fallback.
It wasn't until two o'clock in the afternoon that Qin Tian sent a message to Xia Nuannuan.
"I'm about to head out. Do you want me to pick you up?"
"No, no need. It's not on the way. We can just meet at the internet cafe."
Xia Nuannuan replied quickly.
"Okay!"
Qin Tian sent back a single word, turned off the TV with the remote, and got up.
After locking the door, he turned and strode towards the internet cafe.
He sent a message to Zhang Peng, and as expected, he was there, playing a game with Xu Hao.
Passing by a Jianbing stall, he felt a little hungry, so he bought three Jianbing, eating one himself and packing the other two.
Then he bought a few bottles of water and ice cream at the supermarket.
Arriving at the entrance of the internet cafe, he ate his Jianbing and waited for a while. Then he saw Xia Nuannuan running towards him.
"Want some?" Qin Tian smiled and raised the bag he was holding as she approached.
"I had lunch already, so I'll pass on the Jianbing. I'll have some ice cream, what do you have?" Xia Nuannuan asked cheerfully.
"Little Pudding, Green Mood, Cornetto, and I think there's something else. You choose!" Qin Tian handed her the bag.
"Okay!" Xia Nuannuan took the bag with a sweet smile and chose Green Mood.
They went upstairs and entered the internet cafe. Although the weather outside wasn't too hot yet, the air conditioning in the internet cafe was already on, making it quite cool.
"Are you cold?" Qin Tian asked solicitously after finishing his last bite of Jianbing Guazi, looking at Xia Nuannuan.
Xia Nuannuan smiled and shook her head.
Qin Tian didn't say anything more and led her to the counter.
The same young lady at the cashier saw them and greeted them with a warm smile, saying, "Xu Hao was just here and booked two machines for you."
"Oh, really? Thank you!" Qin Tian said with a smile, then took Xia Nuannuan's free hand and walked towards where Xu Hao was sitting.
Xia Nuannuan took another small bite of her ice cream, then offered it to him.
"Want a bite?"
"Mmm!" Qin Tian smiled and opened his mouth to take a bite.
The cashier blinked in surprise, and a surge of envy immediately welled up within her.
"This girl... she looks so much prettier! Does falling in love have this effect?" After they walked a short distance away, the young lady murmured softly in astonishment, her face filled with envy.